First and Only 2020 Network Ranking

In the past, I post the first ranking of the season once every FBS team is connected to every other through wins and losses. Due to COVID-19, that threshold has only just been reached in the wake of the bowl season, as shown in the above diagram. As you can tell, unlike past years at this point, the relationship between conferences remains very fragmented. Additionally, the ranking is cumulative, so a team that played very few games, even if they won all of them, does not offer as much evidence to their “goodness” as a team that played a whole season, all things equal. While the SEC may have the best team, and a few group of five teams had good seasons, it appears the Big 12 was the best season top to bottom in the conference, perhaps evidenced by conference’s competitiveness.

Top 25 (Explanation; Full Ranking)

1. Alabama

2. Texas A&M

3. Ohio State

4. Ball State

5. Notre Dame

6. Buffalo

7. Clemson

8. San Jose State

9. Miami (OH)

10. Louisiana-Lafayette

11. Brigham Young

12. Coastal Carolina

13. Oklahoma State

14. Oklahoma

15. Iowa State

16. Texas

17. Cincinnati

18. Liberty

19. Georgia

20. Northwestern

21. West Virginia

22. Texas Christian

23. Nevada

24. Iowa

25. Florida